Safety-curtain for preventing runaway accidents on bridges.



PATENTED DEG-l7, 1907.

M. GOODMAN.

SAFETY CURTAIN FOR PREVENTING RUNAWAY ACCIDENTS 0N BRIDGES.

LPI'LIOATIOH PiLED JUNE 29. 1907.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAX GOODMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY-CURTAIN FOR PREVENTING RUNAWAY ACCIDENTS ON BRIDGES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, MAX GOODMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York, in the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Curtains for Preventing Runaway Accidents on Bridges, of which the following is a specification.

Thls invention has reference to an improved safety-curtain for preventing runaway accidents on bridges and other structures.

On bridges, and more especially on the suspension-bridges over the East River between New York and Brooklyn, many accidents happen by horses which get frightened for some cause or other and which run away so as to endanger the lives of the horses and also of the occupants of the vehicles. Frequently the horses and. drivers are killed or maimed by the closing of the gates, heretofore in use at the ends Of the bridges.

The object of this invention is to prevent to some extent the accidents and injury caused by runaway horses on bridges, and

the invention consists of a safety-curtain which is suspended near the end of the bridge and which is formed of a supportingframe provided with a web of interlacing ropes or bands, or canvas, and with means for holding the curtainin raised position and drop ing it whenever a runaway occurs, so that y the curtain the horses are intercepted and accidents prevented.

The invention consists further in suspending the safety-curtain by means of links and rollers from slotted guide-ways on the bridge structure, so that the curtain is carried along by the horses for a certain distance, as will be fully described hereinafter and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved safety curtain showing it in lowered position across the roadway of a bridge, ready for intercepting a runaway team, Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through the safety-curtain, showing its connection with the raising and lowerin mechanism, Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section through the guide-ways for the suspension-rollers of the curtain, and Fig. 4 isa detail side-view of the raising and lowering mechanism of the curtain.

Patented Dec. 17, 1907.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several fig ures.

Referring to the drawings, a represents a safety-curtain, which is preferably made of an exterior rectangular t'ramea of strong metal rods or tubing, and approximately equal in width with the roadway of the bridge. web b, which is formed of interlacing ropes or bands, or of canvas or other material and of sufiicient strength to resist the impact of a runaway horse or horses. The upper part of the curtain-frame is suspended by means of shouldered rods d, having eyes d at their ends, from the shafts of roller-carriages d which move in longitudinally-slotted guidestructure, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

inclination at their ends 6 as shown in Fig. 2, so as to increase gradually the resistance of the safety-curtain as it is carried along over the rising ways. The sides of the curtain-frame a are connected by ropes or chains f, which pass over stationary guidepulleys f 1 on the overhead parts of the bridgestructure, with winding drums f which are located at the ends of a transverse overhead shaft f said shaft turning in bearings of the bridge-structure. The ropes or chains f are wound around the drums by means of a winding mechanism consisting of a sprocketwheel 4 and an endless sprocket-chain f which atter passes Over a sprocket-wheel f 6 .located below the sprocket-wheel f on the bridge-structure alongside of the roadway of the bridge. The lower s rocket-wheelf is provided with a hand-cran g for operating the winding-up mechanism, and with a spring-pawl and ratchet wheel mechanism g, g for locking the winding-up mechanism or releasing the same. When the crank is turned, the winding-up mechanism is operated and the safety-curtain swung on its suspension-links d in upward direction, so as to be supported in nearly'horizontal posi- -way, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, without interfering with the trafiic on the bridge.

Whenever an accident Occurs on the bridge and a runaway horse or team is approaching towards 'either end, the attendant, who is posted near the safety-curtain, immediately Across the frame a is stretched a ways e that are supported on the bridge- The slotted guide-ways e have a gradual tion below the guide-ways entirely out of the drops the curtain by releasing the springpawl 9 which is for that purpose provided with a handle 9 from the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 9 The attendant holds the pawl in raised position until the curtain is dropped and suspended in vertical position across the roadway. The curtain is thereby placed in the path of the horse or team, and produces by the impact of the head or heads of the horse or horses with the curtain, the stopping of the latter, so that accidents are prevented. The force of the impact of thehorse or team with the curtain, carries it forward for a certain distance along the inclined guideways, the connecting ropes or chains f unwinding to their full extent as the curtain is carrled forward over the inclined ends of the guideways. In this manner the horse or team is gradually brought to a full stop. After the horse or team is stopped, the safety-curtain is raised again by turning the hand-crank which winds u the ropes or chains f on the drums of the rum shaft, brings the curtain back to its former position, and then raises it up against the underside of the overhead structure of the bridge. By this safety-curtain, which its comparatively inexpensive and reliable in its function, the danger of accidents and injury to the horses and the occupants of the vehicles drawn by them may be prevented to a great extent. The safety-curtain can also be used at railway-crossings, and wherever provision for preventing accidents to horse-drawn vehicles is to be made. Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent: 1. A safety-curtain for preventing runaway accidents on bridges, consisting of a curtain corresponding in width to the width of the roadway of the bridge and composed of an exterior frame and a web stretched across the frame, means for suspending the curtain, roller-carriages guided in slotted ways on the bridge-structure and connected with the upper ends of said suspensionmeans, and means for raising the curtain above the roadway or dropping it in position across the same.

2. A safety-curtain for preventing runaway accidents on bridges, comprising a curtain formed of an exterior frame and a web stretched across the same, rods for suspending the curtain, roller-carriages connected to the upper ends of the rods, slotted. guideways on the bridge-structure for guiding said rol'lei carriages, and means for raising the curtain above the roadway or dropping it in position across the roadway.

3. A safety-curtain for preventing runaway accidents on bridges, consisting of a curtain composed of an exterior frame and a web of suitable material stretched across said frame, pivot-links for suspending the curtain, roller-carriages connected with the uper ends of the suspension-rods, longitud1nally-slotted guide-ways on the bridgestructure for guiding said roller-carriages, said ways having inclined end-portions for permitting the curtain to be moved for a certain distance along the roadway of the bridge, and means for holding the curtain in raised position or dropping it in position across the roadway.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MAX GOODMAN. Witnesses:

PAUL GoEPEL, HENRY J. SUHRBIER. 

